Input Sought on Replacing Hyattsville Library

Local library lovers will have a chance to offer their ideas for a new Hyattsville branch of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System at a community meeting set for next week. 

A redesign or rebuild of the library, which opened in 1964, has a long history with the library system. According to Michael Gannon, associate director for administrative services at the library system, the project has been a line item on the capital improvement program since 1998. 

"The library and the community have been waiting a long time for this," said Gannon. 

The library system will be holding a community meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at  7 p.m. in the Hyattsville Branch Memorial Library community meeting room. The purpose of the meeting is to gather feedback from residents about what the new building should be on the inside and out.

One of the central questions for architects as work begins to design a new Hyattsville library branch, according to Gannon, is how to handle the building's unique modernist stylings which have become a local architectural landmark, especially the distinctive flying-saucer-shaped awning which graces the Adelphi Road entrance to the building. 

"One of the big topics will be the spaceship out front," said Gannon. "There are people that hate the thing, people that love the thing. Do we want to incorporate it into the new design? Or do we ant an homage to it in the design?"

The existing building's modernist style was reflective of a space-age architectural optimism which was prevalent during the 1960s when the library was built, said Gannon.

"The building was state of the art when it opened in its time," said Gannon. "We want to create a new state of the art library for the Hyattsville community."

The library system has requested $11 million to redesign and rebuild the library. The new library would be built on the site of the existing branch. As such, the existing branch would need to be demolished before construction on a new branch could begin.

The existing building currently also houses the administrative headquarters for the library system. The administrative offices are slated to move to a new permanent home in Largo in 2014 before demolition and construction of the new Hyattsville branch are scheduled to begin.